Criminal justice majors need at least one college-level math course and can often choose which class they want to take. For example, The University of Nevada, Las Vegas requires criminal justice majors to take a minimum of a three credit hour math course at the 120 level or higher. California State University, San Bernardino requires criminal justice majors to take at least one math course at the 110 to 211 level, such as algebra, general mathematics, pre-calculus or calculus.
Some colleges require students to complete math courses that have prerequisites. For example, the University of Maryland, College Park requires criminal justice majors to take a 200 level probability and statistics course. However, a math course at the 103, 106 or 107 level is a prerequisite for taking the probability and statistics course. Freshmen at UMCP are required to take math placement tests to see what math class they should start with. If a student has high school math credits that qualify as 100 level college courses and their college placement tests show that they have a comprehensive understanding of the material, they can skip the 100 level math requirement and go straight to the 200 level probability and statistics course.
Some colleges require criminal justice majors to take one or more natural science courses, in addition to their social science requirements. For example, UNLV requires criminal justice majors to complete two courses from the life and physical sciences category, with at least one science lab as part of the requirement. The total science requirement is 9 to 10 credit hours. On the other hand, CSUSB doesn't require criminal justice majors to take natural science courses, but a 200 level course in human physiology and anatomy can be taken as an elective.
Biology is an important subject for criminal justice majors who plan to obtain advanced degrees in forensic science or a related field. For criminal justice majors who want to pursue advanced degrees in law or law enforcement, a 100 level biology course is often the only natural science requirement. For example, UMCP requires criminal justice majors to take a 103 level introduction to biology course with a biology lab, worth four total credit hours. Students can opt for a higher-level biological and physical sciences course with a lab, as long as they meet the perquisites for the class.